Czech Republic blocks Polymarket as unlicensed gambling

The Czech Republic has ordered internet service providers to block access to the prediction market platform Polymarket, classifying it as an unlicensed gambling operation. The Czech Ministry of Finance added Polymarket to its official list of unauthorized internet games, triggering a mandatory 15-day deadline for ISPs to implement the block. Officials determined the platform operates without the required authorization under national gambling legislation.

The ministry's decision, announced this week, asserts that prediction markets constitute gambling regardless of how they are marketed. Jan Řehola, director of the Czech Institute for Gambling Regulation, argued that the fundamental nature of the activity does not change with terminology. He stated that prediction markets involve betting on real-world events without the standard player protections, anti-money laundering protocols, and state oversight applied to licensed gambling operations. Řehola also raised concerns that the format could create incentives to influence real-world events or trade on non-public information.

This action places the Czech Republic among a growing list of European nations restricting Polymarket....